Paul Larmour visits the new theatre, which he describes as a boon for the dramatic arts and the most exciting building in Belfast
‘A New theatre can be the most exciting building in any city. It can be the home of miracles and epiphanies and revelations and renovations. And building a new theatre – especially in times like these – is both an act of fortitude and a gesture of faith in your community.’
These words of the Ulster playwright Brian Friel in September 2009, read out at the unveiling of the threshold stone for the new Lyric theatre in Belfast, prefaced the final act in the rebuilding scheme centred on one of Ireland’s most successful and admirable cultural ventures.
Ahead of Dragana Jurisic’s solo show at the RHA in September we republish Stephanie McBride’s examination of the photographer’s 2011 show at the Droichead Arts Centre, studies of urban survival taken during the Celtic Tiger years, revealing Ireland’s struggling society.